White Out
by Kittyduckling
Summary: Kotone climbs Mt Silver to complete her Pokemon Quest and finds a lone trainer standing at the top. She challenges him and loses. Instead of returning to the region below to train, she stubbornly decides to stay at the top until she can defeat him


[a/n:

credits: Alter Ego, Phanima and Scarlet Weather for pushing me to write, Astinus and Valentine for bribing me with cookies, Chibi-chan for the inspiration and the encouragement to believe in myself and me. Because I'm... awesome...? /o/ ]

It was getting colder, the further up she climbed. She could see her breath coming out in faint wisps with each exhale and she was shivering almost uncontrollably despite how much sweat was dripping down the sides of her face. She had to be close to the top now; this damn cave couldn't go on forever and she'd been in here almost four days.

This journey - getting to this place - had taken such a long time. She'd started with a tiny Cyndaquil and less than 10,000P in her wallet. A PokeGear around her neck. A backpack on her shoulders.

She'd left her quiet home to go gather badges, to bring honor to her hometown and to her family name. She'd gone out into the world with nothing beyond a simple childish dream. She'd walked into something entirely different.

It had all started with a well. It started with a batch of tail-less Slowpokes at the bottom of that god damn well and an ominous warning from the men in black uniforms. A mention, made in passing, of something gone that would return.

It was a childish threat and an irritating nuisance; that's all she thought it was. She eliminated the nuisance and continued onward. She went on her way, beating a second and third gym after improving her party. She then headed north to a fourth gym. Dealing with sick Pokemon, beating the awkward assortment of gym leaders and over feeding an already morbidly obese Miltank to make it stop whining like a typical fat kid began to take its toll. As badge number seven drew closer and closer on the horizon, she was expecting more of the same old same old. Then she came to that place.

The Lake of Rage.

A lake on fire, a lake filled with suffering.

Chaos.

Utter indescribable chaos.

The people behind it, trainers themselves, had no remorse for their actions. They had no sense of guilt or regret towards what they had done. The destruction of the plant, the liberation of the Pokemon, none of it changed their minds. They vowed in the most dramatic ways possible to come back stronger, to rebuild on the ashes of a fallen empire.

She met a man there. She met a man who helped destroy that place. A man who was stronger than anything she'd ever seen before. As the two stood on the hills surrounding Goldenrod after that incident at that lake and watched the effect of a simple twisted radio signal turn friend into foe, he said something she couldn't shake from her memory.

"There are people in this world... who truly care about the Pokemon that live along side us. There are others, that given the option, would sit in a high seat of power and watch everything around them burn until it can burn no more."

The dismantling of an evil organization for the second time.

A journey continues.

The final badge is obtained.

A seemingly final journey to the highest point of the Kanto Region.

A fight against four unmatchable trainers whose skill pushed her to own personal limits.

A fight against the man she had fought along side.

An epic fight.

An epic fight that she won.

"You are strong and yet there is one stronger than you. Continue your journey, you have not yet reached your ending point."

A wave of a hand, an entry into the hall of fame and a simple dismissal to a new journey.

Eight more gyms.

Eight more badges.

Eight more trainers each one tougher than the last.

An email.

An email at the very end that mentioned one last place she had to go.

A permit of passage that came with that email to the most sacred place in her homeland.

Mt Silver.

A treacherous climb into a damp and dirty place that smelled worse than it looked. But she was strong. She had come this far. Stopping now would be foolish, cowardly even. She would fight, she would fight against the hunger, the lack of sleep, the lack of sun, until she reached the peak, until she reached the top.

The air was colder, her breath became more visible and as the air thinned, she shivered. It was then that she saw it. She saw it up ahead.

Light

Glorious natural light.

Pressing her numbed toes into the bottoms of her shoes, she walked onward. Just a bit more of a climb. Just one more random encounter to endure. Just a few more steps. Her brow furrowed, her eyes setting into a determined stance as her lip became entangled in between her teeth. Her arms ached, her legs burned and her chest felt ready to give up and quit all together. She was so numb she could hardly feel her body at all and when the snow brushed against her face the moment she stepped into the light, it took a moment to register that it was hitting her at all.

Her hair, brown and neat in two pigtails was somewhat ripped from its sheath by the wind and the stray hairs began to flutter in front of her sun kissed face. A hand flew to the white hat to keep it on her head, the crimson ribbon rippling violently.

She blinked. Being in the dark for so long made it necessary to pause and allow time to adjust.

She waited.

She closed her eyes

She exhaled.

A few moments passed and she opened her eyes once more, startled at a figure in front of her. Dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt and redish jacket, his skin was bright pink from exposure to the snow. A yellow blob sat perched on his shoulder, pushed up against his brown hair which was partially hidden by a red cap. Two mini yellow blobs on the top of its head perked as she wandered forward and it turned. Even in the blizzard like snow, it was obvious what it was.

A Pikachu.

An angry Pikachu.

It leapt from its master's shoulder, hissing ferociously as its fur rippled up to a standing point.

A turn, eyes locking on her own.

A flick of his wrist, the pikachu returning to his side with a final hissy spat towards her.

"...."

She gulped, stepping back. His eyes were brown but in such straights they almost seemed red. His gaze was neither cold nor inviting. Simply staring at her. She stepped backwards, stumbling slightly, and landed in the snow. A trail of sweat trickled down her cheek, dripping onto her hand. His hand moved to his belt, to a small pokeball, and grasped the object firmly. Holding it up, he forced it to expand and thrust it towards her, his eyes never leaving her own.

Almost as though he was inviting her challenge.

When two trainers meet eyes, they cannot say no to a battle.

The trainer's manual had said it, her teachers mentors and friends had all repeated it. A trainer fight wasn't something you could simply walk away from if you didn't feel like participating in it. If the eyes met and a battle was requested, the answer could not be no. She closed her eyes, inhaled as deeply as she could, and very slowly exhaled. Her breath tangled itself in the wind and fluttered away and as she pushed herself upright, her nerves were gone.

It was just a fight.

A fight wasn't hard.

A fight was something she could do

Something she could win.

Something she would win.

Her eyes opened and a calm look covered every inch of features. She raised a gloved finger, pointed it square at his nose. "My name...is Kotone. I come from New Bark Town in the Johto Region."

No response.

His gaze did not change nor did he make a single sound. She raised an eyebrow and gave him another moment to respond. When he didn't, her eyebrow twitched slightly in irritation. Punk, not even giving his name. Well whatever. shaking her head, she stammered her way back into her pre-battle taunt, "...Well, whoever you are..." She smirked, her eyes glinting with just a tiny hint of excitement, "...you are about to be defeated."


End file.
